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Puxi Campus G6: Career Day

April 14, 2026

On April 2, the Grade 6 Career Day event took place as scheduled. SHSID Middle School invited three parents from different industries to open a window for students to learn about various professions. Through real-life stories, vivid examples, and on-site interactions, students got a close-up look at the appeal of three professional fields: semiconductors, finance, and user experience design. This was not merely a transfer of knowledge, but an enlightening experience centered on exploration, curiosity, and dreams.


Semiconductor Engineer: "Building" the World at the Nanoscale


A parent representative working as a semiconductor engineer used the analogy of "building with LEGO bricks" to unveil the mysteries of the semiconductor world to the students. He explained that his work is like building with bricks at the nanoscale — layering them precisely, one by one — except that these "bricks" are tens of thousands of times thinner than a strand of hair. To help students grasp the complex manufacturing processes, he likened specialized procedures such as photolithography, etching, and chemical vapor deposition to a process of first drawing a pattern, then carving it out, and finally layering the components — a vivid and accessible analogy. He told the students that these seemingly esoteric technical terms are fundamentally underpinned by knowledge of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. As long as they maintain a curious mind, they too will have the opportunity to join this field that constantly pushes the boundaries of what is possible.


Finance Professor: The Logic Behind Wealth Growth


The parent representative, a finance professor, first introduced his daily work and shared the career path required to become a university professor. He prepared many thought-provoking questions closely related to everyone's daily lives: "Guess what the average monthly salary in Shanghai will be in 2025?" "Which is easier: saving 6,000 yuan or earning 6,000 yuan?" "If you skip one 30-yuan cup of coffee every day and invest the savings at an 8% annualized return for 30 years, how much will you accumulate?" These questions instantly energized the atmosphere and, through reflection and discussion, gave the students a more intuitive understanding of concepts such as income, consumption, investment, and compound interest. Finance isn't just about numbers and formulas; it's also about choices, judgment, and long-term thinking.


User Experience Designer: Reading Users' Minds


A parent representative who is a designer shared insights on user experience design with the students. She began with the intriguing "Norman Door" phenomenon to illustrate that the decisive factor in good design is meeting users' psychological expectations. Drawing on her more than twenty years of professional experience, she explained that user experience design requires the comprehensive application of multidisciplinary knowledge. She emphasized that in the age of artificial intelligence, technology determines how fast we can move, while user experience determines whether we are heading in the right direction. Using real-world examples, she helped students understand that design is not just about appearance, but also about comprehension, feelings, and efficiency during the usage process. She also encouraged everyone to maintain empathy and curiosity, as these are essential starting points for becoming excellent designers.


After the three presentations, students diligently recorded their observations and insights in their notebooks. Some were deeply impressed by nanoscale chips; others were surprised by the calculations of compound interest; and still others began to pay attention to the "user-friendly" and "unfriendly" designs around them. A series of questions and bursts of applause filled this Career Day event with the vitality of intellectual exchange.


This Career Day not only introduced students to the real professional world but also further aligned with the school's educational goal of "cultivating responsible global citizens." While gaining an initial understanding of various professions, students also began to grasp the connections between personal learning, social development, technological progress, and global issues. What Career Day planted was not merely an interest in a specific profession, but a forward-looking mindset and vision for actively exploring the world.

















(Written by Xinyu Ma

Pictures by Ginger Xu

Reviewed by Ms. Cheng Liyan, Shiyu Wu, Hannah Kloeber)